I ask fwooshmembers questions.
They answer them.
Chibikasai “A slightly high-pitched giggle, it seems.”
Do you customize?
Heh. I want to, and I have quite a few WIPS around my room right now. Unfortunately, I have yet to finish one. Maybe one day…
Where do you live?
I live in Tampa, FL.
Do you live on the ground floor?
My living situation since November has been staying with my grandparents. I have a nice room on the second floor, no one bugs me, and I can come and go as I please. It’s not really ideal, but it works for me while I’m still in college.
Future plans?
My immediate plans right now are to find a new car, and finish earning my associates degree in Graphic Design.
My goals beyond that… I’ve always wanted to draw comics. And of course the typical "get married, start a family" jazz.
When do you graduate school?
Right now, it’s looking around early 2008.
Do you speak more than one language?
No. Kinda surprising, because my step mom, who I’ve known for over 10 years, is Cuban, and fluent in Spanish.
Do you have a heavy accent?
I have no accent at all actually. Florida’s a bit of an anomaly for the south it seems. The only people who have accents are transplants from elsewhere. I have to go north if I want to hear drawls.
Ever been arrested?
No. I’m a good girl. Relatively. I think the only law I’ve broken was underage drinking. Funny, I drink less now that I’m legal, I think.
Have you ever fed an alligator?
I fed one when I was just in Orlando, theme-parking! Apparently, they like hot dogs.
Do you ever go to Disney or Epcot center or any of those places?
I actually really like Disney World, though I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve been there. At least once a year since I was 13. I’m spoiled.
I love the roller-coasters, like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and Space Mountain. And they have tasty pineapple ice cream in Adventure Land.
Epcot… last time I was at that part of the park was for the Food and Wine Festival. I got to eat escargot! And watch a Beatles cover band.
Speaking of theme parks – I was just at Islands of Adventure again in March. I took pictures with Captain America, but they came out horrible. My family actually spent most of the time in Suess Landing, because my sister’s 5yrs old. But I managed to steal some Dad & Me time in Marvel Superhero Island. The Hulk coaster is a rush!
Wow. That’s cool you like the Disney thing or Epcot Center. What’s that ride where you get on a train car and it moves around because a villain is hijacking it and a superhero saves the day?
Hmm. Sounds like you might be thinking of the Spider-Man ride. I never get tired of going on that.
What is your opinion on beards?
I don’t really like beards. I do kind of like it when guys look a little scruffy… like maybe a day’s worth of growth.
“chibi” – that means small or young or miniature right?
Right.
“kasai”- means what?
Supposedly Japanese for "fire". Like a blaze. My screen name was one I came up with when I was in 8th grade, almost 10 years ago.
You are one of a handful of female fwooshers. What is the experience there?
I generally feel comfortable among the mostly-male Fwoosh. I’ve always done better talking with guys anyway. It’s the same in real life. Probably because it’s harder to find girls with my interests. A lot of women come off as very vapid, and image conscience, and could care less about books or anything remotely "geeky".
I do find it kinda weird I’m one of the very few females who’s come here by themselves. I was single when I discovered Fwoosh. It’d be nice if there were more hardcore female fans here. When I get together with girl geeks in real life, our comic and toy discussions are pretty different from the kind I have with guys.
I think the vapid girls get a super lot of boys interested in them.
Yeah, This is a rather sad commentary on society, that people value looks over intelligence.
In the male brain the pleasure center for sexual activity is the same spot that lights up during fights and violence. This coupling of sex and violence might
explain away the huge difference in numbers between the male and female ratios in superhero fandom. It doesn’t help that the women are drawn super sexy.
I’ve never really thought about it, to be honest. A lot of girls like seeing a good beatdown.
But I know one of the main problems driving away girls from comics is the portrayal of women – not just the way they’re drawn, but also how they’re written. You’ll find the most popular books among most females are ones where the women are written as strong, competent heroes. Not reduced to nothing more than tits and a nice booty.
And that isn’t meant to be read as "don’t draw women sexy, don’t show skin" – some of my favorite heroes are Emma Frost, Power Girl, and Black Canary. They’re definitely sexy… but they also don’t take crap from anyone. Brains + Brawn + Beauty = Awesome.
Also, there’s a difference between sexy, and smutty. Adam Hughes does great cheesecake, both playful and sexy. Greg Horn, some of his Emma Frost covers leaned more towards smutty.
A great place to read more about women’s take on comics is When Fangirls Attack.
At what point does frustration from sexism turn into anger?
Depends on the situation, but usually, when it directly impacts my life.
Could women come up with some universal code for "I’m not interested"?
Heh. Maybe as soon as guys do. I’ve learned both genders play games. I try to be straightforward with people, and I appreciate it when they do the same for me. But a lot of people are kinda flaky. Luckily, the guy I’m smitten with right now… he’s the more direct type. And I think I love him even more for it.
It’s definitely a boys club. Males making comics for other males. Are there any women in the biz that you like?
Well, one of the most notable is Gail Simone. Wonderful writer. I love Birds of Prey, Welcome to Tranquility, and the Secret Six mini. I can’t wait for her Wonder Woman run to start.
For artists, Amanda Conner’s really great. A very nice, clean, fluid style, that has a lot of character. I wish she got more work.
Do you think women have an innate sensibility for matching colors and things?
I can tell you, I’ve met lots of women with no concept of "matching" or fashion.
What do you collect?
I collect a lot of comics both Marvel and DC. A few of the titles I get are JSA, Runaways, X-factor, Legion of Superheroes, and Iron Fist. That’s hardly scratching the surface though.
As far as toys- I collect Marvel Legends based on character, mostly… I’m not a completeist by any means. Same for DC Direct.
I also like Transformers, but there, I only get representations of Hot Rod/Rodimus, Jazz, and Thundercracker.
I did have 2 collections going in high school – one for tigers (being my favorite animal), the other for the Beatles. But I don’t really keep those going.
Favorite character?
Guy Gardner. It’s an odd choice, yeah. I’m also pretty fond of Madrox and Cosmic Boy.
Growing up, I wanted to be Phoenix.
What do your real life friends think of your fwooshing?
They don’t really have an opinion. They’re mostly fangirls/boys too and have their own little online havens.
Do you like particular types of music?
I like all types of music from all different decades… the 1950s up until now. I consider my taste rather eclectic.
I mean just this week I’ve been listening to the Monkees, Mr. Bungle, Righteous Brothers, AC/DC, Goon Moon, and Phil Collins.
There might be something wrong with me.
Who are the Goon Moons?
http://www.myspace.com/goonmoon
Do you have any physical defects?
No, not really. I’m near-sighted, if you wanna count that as a defect. I wore contacts for the past 9 years, until switching to glasses again last fall. But otherwise, I’m 5’2", 118lbs, and perfectly normal.
What are the items in your bag?
If by bag you mean book bag – it’s got my sketchbook and a bunch of essays from an English class past.
If by bag, you mean purse… I don’t carry one.
What’s on your bag?
Nothing fancy. The messenger bag I have now has the NERV logo, from "Neon Genesis Evangelion" embroidered on it.
The book bag I carried my junior year of high school had Spider-Man painted on it. I was rather proud of that.
What do you do in your free time?
Used to be, I’d go to the movies, the mall… but with so many of my friends being busy with work lately, I’ve been hanging around the house a lot, reading, drawing, watching TV. I talk to lots of friends online – they can multitask between chatting and working that way. But I miss just hanging out. I don’t have one big clique of friends, so much as I talk to different people, from different aspects of my life – my online friends have never met my coworker friends, who’ve never met my "people I knew from High School" friends, etc.
What does your laugh sound like?
Good time to ask me this… Benty just said something that made me laugh, so now I can easily assess it. Hmm. A slightly high-pitched giggle, it seems.
Thanks Chibi
